“No…” Han Yan’s mind went blank as she instinctively lunged forward, driving her plum blossom dagger into the man’s back. The man’s hand trembled, and Han Yan seized the opportunity to push Zhuang Han Ming onto a nearby carriage. As the man raised his blade to strike, Han Yan, unable to dodge in time, acted faster than thought – she flipped onto the carriage and with her left hand, thrust the plum blossom dagger into the horse’s rump.
The carriage horse let out a long neigh, reared up on its hind legs, and immediately bolted. Han Yan stumbled inside the carriage from the jolts. Even though the man moved quickly, he couldn’t match the speed of a panicked horse. In the chaos of the scattered crowd, such a carriage provided excellent protection. The carriage trampled countless people in its path, and while Han Yan worried about Ji Lan, the carriage had already run wild, leaving her unable to know what was happening outside.
Amid the chaos, Fu Yun Xi instinctively searched for Han Yan’s figure, but all he could see was the panicking crowd scattering like an overturned pot, and Han Yan, being small in stature, was lost among them. He had never lost his composure like this before, knowing that in this world, many wished harm upon the Princess Consort of Xuan Qing. If anything went wrong… he dared not think about it. With this in mind, he coldly commanded, “Mu Feng, Mu Yan.”
“At your service,” the secret guards appeared before him at once.
“Dispatch men to protect the Princess Consort immediately.”
“Yes, sir.” The secret guards departed with their orders. Fu Yun Xi glanced up at the high tower where the royal family resided, his phoenix eyes narrowing before he suddenly took flight.
“Young Master Ming!” The carriage had broken free from the crowd and was racing toward the eastern mountains behind the city. The area was full of cliffs, making Han Yan’s heart pound as she both shook Zhuang Han Ming and observed the scenery outside. This was a forest area, silent and deserted, but the more silent it was, the more dangerous it became. The plum blossom dagger was still embedded in the horse’s rump, causing it to run wild, dragging the carriage endlessly, with no end in sight. Unable to stop the carriage, Han Yan grew increasingly anxious. With a cliff ahead, were they destined to die here?
The ground became increasingly steep, leaving no time for reaction. Han Yan held Zhuang Han Ming with one hand, bit her lip, and lifted the carriage curtain, preparing to jump out with him.
Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats rang out ahead, followed by their horse rearing up on its front legs, coming to an abrupt halt before the cliff. The sudden stop threw Han Yan and Zhuang Han Ming against the back of the carriage, nearly making them cough blood. After barely regaining her senses, Han Yan lifted the curtain to see who had saved them.
In front of their carriage lay a horse and its rider. The horse appeared injured, and the man was dead with an arrow in his back. He must have ridden here with his last strength, and by coincidence, had startled their horse, thereby saving them. As Han Yan moved to investigate, she saw a child crawl out from under the dead man. The child was covered in blood but wore golden clothes. When Han Yan saw the child’s face, she couldn’t help but be shocked: “Crown Prince!”
The Crown Prince had been pursued by assassins today and only survived thanks to this guard’s protection, but now the guard was dead. Being young and having never experienced such life-and-death situations, he was already panicked when he unexpectedly saw Han Yan.
“You?” The Crown Prince asked suspiciously, then continued in an arrogant tone: “You’re not dead yet?”
Han Yan’s heart stirred – the Crown Prince’s words seemed to imply something, but before she could speak, she heard the distant sound of hoofbeats and voices. The carriage was now stuck with broken wheels and an injured horse, rendering it useless. Leaving this place wouldn’t be easy, and they needed to find a hiding place first, then wait for the searching guards to come to rescue them.
Without thinking further, Han Yan disregarded all ceremony. She glared at the Crown Prince while supporting Zhuang Han Ming, saying harshly: “If you want to die, stay away from me.” She then moved away with the unconscious Zhuang Han Ming to find a hiding place.
The Crown Prince stood dumbfounded, almost exasperated, but the approaching pursuers made his blood run cold. Unsure what to do and seeing Han Yan leave, he panicked: “You can’t abandon this prince!” He then followed after them.
Han Yan had never intended to abandon the Crown Prince. First, this child hadn’t committed any major wrong, and second, if it was discovered that she had left the Crown Prince to die, the Emperor would surely condemn her – even ten heads wouldn’t be enough to pay for such a crime. Finally, this young Crown Prince was, after all, Fu Yun Xi’s nephew, so she might as well help. However, having the Crown Prince with them could be either fortune or disaster – they would have to take it one step at a time.
The trees stood straight all around, appearing dense but allowing clear sight through them, creating a vast green expanse that would normally be perfect for sightseeing, though Han Yan was in no mood to appreciate the scenery now. There were few places to hide here. As Han Yan supported Zhuang Han Ming while running, growing increasingly anxious, she suddenly spotted a small cave opening nearby. It appeared to be an abandoned animal den at the edge of the cliff, with wild grass clusters effectively concealing the entrance. Han Yan dragged Zhuang Han Ming inside, and the young Crown Prince followed. The cave was deep but not particularly large, making it rather cramped for three people.
Finally able to catch her breath, Han Yan could now calmly analyze the cause and effect of today’s events. While she had anticipated something would happen, she hadn’t expected things to escalate to this level – after all, killing someone in broad daylight before the royal family required extraordinary boldness. This surely wasn’t aimed at her. Han Yan looked at the Crown Prince, this normally pampered royal child now covered in blood, trying hard to maintain composure though his eyes betrayed his nervousness.
Was it not coincidental that even the Crown Prince had been drawn into this?
She looked at the Crown Prince: “Your Highness, how did you end up here?”
The young Crown Prince, already quite dissatisfied with Han Yan, especially after her previous disrespect, immediately assumed his princely air: “What status do you have to speak to this prince in such a manner?”
Han Yan remained unperturbed, simply smiled, and returned to examining Zhuang Han Ming’s injuries.
The Crown Prince, having failed to provoke a response and seeing Han Yan’s continued silence, grew annoyed and finally asked: “Why aren’t you asking anymore?”
Han Yan calmly looked at him: “Your Highness will speak when you wish to speak. If Your Highness feels Han Yan’s status is insufficient, naturally you need not speak with Han Yan. With pursuers approaching, Han Yan merely hoped to discover some clues from this situation.”
The Crown Prince paused, looking at her again. He had heard from many that this Princess Consort of Xuan Qing was an extremely clever woman. Though he disliked her, he couldn’t help but ask: “You can find clues?”